Parella is closed

Just days after Parella announced it would be changing its format to a more casual one, news has come that the excellent Italian restaurant in Calhoun Square is now closed. Owner Michael Larson was quoted in Minnesota CBS Local as saying, “We were never able to come close to the sales we needed. The higher-end modern Italian with a named chef was the wrong thing for me to do. The neighborhood wanted a neighborhood joint, and I missed that mark badly."

It's especially sad news since Parella was one of the best of the spate of Italian restaurants to open in the past year. We'll be anxious to watch what chef/co-owner Todd Macdonald does next now that he's executive chef of Red Cow and partnering with that company's owner Luke Shimp on another unnamed project.

Parella is the third restaurant to occupy the space since Figlio closed in 2009.